The Scoop On The Largest New Kid On The Corridor

Of all the new developments going up, this is the big daddy of them all, and with a variety of choices

BY: MILES LONG

Solaz is the name of this giant of a development going up on the corridor near Chileno Bay. It means entertainment and rest, and walking from one end of it to the other would be entertaining but not restful. It’s huge. As you drive by it on the fourlane, you probably thought it was several new developments. It’s just south of the Marbella Suites which is closed now, and where the fourlane that’s being moved joins back up to where it has always been.

The company behind it is the same that built Hacienda del Mar which is inside Cabo del Sol. That was the tomato growers’ first effort at developing, and back in those days that’s what they called themselves. Because that’s what they are; they made their money growing tomatoes over on the mainland. Hacienda del Mar is all timeshare, and they have more than their share of angry owners, mostly about the ever escalating maintenance fees.

But this new development has more than timeshare, there are full time full ownership condos as well as villas, a half a dozen restaurants, gym, spa, tennis courts, shops, a beach club, and hiking/biking trails.

It’s built on the side of a hill, and they’ve added to that incline by pushing dirt up, so each building is sitting higher than the one in front of it. But Solaz has gone a step further by planting grass on the roofs of all the buildings except those in the back row. This creates a much enhanced view, as nobody is looking out over roof tops. It looks like those up in the bleacher seats won’t even know there are homes in front of them, as it will be a sea of grass before their eye gets to the sea of ocean.

It seems as though every development keeps getting more clever in making the best use of land. Well, unless you’re an ecofreak, in which case you would be likely to believe the best use of land is no use.

This is designed to be a fully self-contained community, no need to leave the premises but for that vital Costco run. It will be run by Starwood.

Prices are not what you would find in the barrio, of course, but some of the front row condos, high enough and close enough for an awesome view to China, start at less than four million dollars for 3,000 square feet, with another 3,000 square feet of terrace on the other side of wall to wall pocket doors/windows.

At their opening night party they sold a dozen units, all to different buyers, but most were buying on speculation and plan to flip them. That’s a warning to shake a leg, because prices are bound to go up.

Their website is at solazloscabos.com but it’s pretty useless, with only a bunch of pretty pictures, a lot of hyperbole, and no information. Better info can be found at www.snelrealestate.com. They are the sales agents for the residences. They also have an office right across the fourlane from it, with a large table top model, pamphlets, a video, and oh yes, live sales agents. Don’t be afraid, Snell people are not selling the timeshare.

Solaz is the name of this giant of a development going up on the corridor near Chileno Bay. It means entertainment and rest, and walking from one end of it to the other would be entertaining but not restful. It’s huge. As you drive by it on the fourlane, you probably thought it was several new developments. It’s just south of the Marbella Suites which is closed now, and where the fourlane that’s being moved joins back up to where it has always been.

The company behind it is the same that built Hacienda del Mar which is inside Cabo del Sol. That was the tomato growers’ first effort at developing, and back in those days that’s what they called themselves. Because that’s what they are; they made their money growing tomatoes over on the mainland. Hacienda del Mar is all timeshare, and they have more than their share of angry owners, mostly about the ever escalating maintenance fees.

But this new development has more than timeshare, there are full time full ownership condos as well as villas, a half a dozen restaurants, gym, spa, tennis courts, shops, a beach club, and hiking/biking trails.

It’s built on the side of a hill, and they’ve added to that incline by pushing dirt up, so each building is sitting higher than the one in front of it. But Solaz has gone a step further by planting grass on the roofs of all the buildings except those in the back row. This creates a much enhanced view, as nobody is looking out over roof tops. It looks like those up in the bleacher seats won’t even know there are homes in front of them, as it will be a sea of grass before their eye gets to the sea of ocean.

It seems as though every development keeps getting more clever in making the best use of land. Well, unless you’re an ecofreak, in which case you would be likely to believe the best use of land is no use.

This is designed to be a fully self-contained community, no need to leave the premises but for that vital Costco run. It will be run by Starwood.

Prices are not what you would find in the barrio, of course, but some of the front row condos, high enough and close enough for an awesome view to China, start at less than four million dollars for 3,000 square feet, with another 3,000 square feet of terrace on the other side of wall to wall pocket doors/windows.

At their opening night party they sold a dozen units, all to different buyers, but most were buying on speculation and plan to flip them. That’s a warning to shake a leg, because prices are bound to go up.

Their website is at solazloscabos.com but it’s pretty useless, with only a bunch of pretty pictures, a lot of hyperbole, and no information. Better info can be found at www.snelrealestate.com. They are the sales agents for the residences. They also have an office right across the fourlane from it, with a large table top model, pamphlets, a video, and oh yes, live sales agents. Don’t be afraid, Snell people are not selling the timeshare.